There are as many ways to celebrate being alive, as there are creatures and inventions that prove it. To keep it simple, here are 3 big-picture reasons to be shamelessly excited about your life:
This BodyWe get one body. One! It is made specifically for us, exclusively for our use, to be shared or saved by our own choosing, and cannot be exactly replicated (naturally, anyway). It is our constant ally; even when we don’t understand its troubleshooting measures to keep us healthy. It has a specialized set of programs to keep us alive and thriving, and a backup program for helping us to survive in both prehistoric ( i.e. surprisingly loud sound makes us duck-and-cover or jump away from it) and modern ways (i.e. developing grip strength in our hands to accommodate all of the texting and swiping activity). Our incredible body welcomes every sensation, every bit of information, and every food choice we offer it. It figures out a way to use it or get rid of it. It works overnight to make us better than the day before, using parts that will expire, under (usually) non-ideal settings. It does its best everyday – and as conscious beings, we can train ourselves to witness all that it is and can do. We can also chose to ignore our body’s great work and it will continue to do its very best with what it innately has and what we give it. How selfless our body serves us in spite of our headspace! Which brings me to the second reason we have a lot to be excited about…Our MindThe conscious mind is a highly curated, heavily conditioned, filtered projection of an unknowingly deep archive of information and experience. Your singular existence, exactly as it is, will never be replicated. While we all share the basic blueprint of human emotions, needs and desires, your particular mind and its health are absolutely yours. Even better, as a mindfulness practitioner, you have an exquisite tool kit to create an inspired life, to remove the “victim” badge from your sleeve and take part in making your future look, feel and taste how you want it to. Yes, the mind can feel like it is the Myth of Sisyphus, sometimes. Yes, it can be a general bat-country of information and emotional output. …and yes, no one knows exactly what it is or if it is an exclusive function of the brain. But we do know that it is a supercharged, powerful aspect of our being human, for better or worse. We each stand at the frontier of our own great consciousness and mental health. Check out that view!Y.O.L.O.Excuse the trendy buzzword and stay with me for a moment longer. Pretend that this one life you’ve had thus far, in that body, with that mind of yours, gets only one shot. You will only live once and when you die, what has been done is done. You can take that as a daunting, scary, grim tale…or you can take it as an invitation to get more playful, to enjoy the mystery like a fun game. That nagging discomfort we all feel about it from time to time, enjoy that, too! If all we get is this one life, then each moment of it is really quite expensive! Maximize your time knowing that these moments are all for you, anyway, and see what happens. Life might just get more lively.

Niki Saccareccia (E-500) is a blogger, author and Clinical Behavior Therapist based in Los Angeles. She blends the practical application of behavioral habit change with yoga’s comprehensive lifestyle of wellness and creativity. Her aim is to educate, inspire and share. For more about Niki and upcoming events, visit www.lightinsideyoga.com.